Event: New media as a brand challenger

An event organized by Experience Platform explores the opportunities offered to brands by YouTube.

Crystal Abidin

Why should brands and organizations be interested in YouTube? What can it offer them? The "Brand Experience Through New Media" event on 15 March aims at providing information on the significance of new media channels to Aalto University researchers and others interested in the topic.

According to Project Manager Markus Ahola, Experience Platform aims at identifying tacit signals from experience-related research areas that are new, cross-disciplinary or emerging topics, that are of interest to the various Aalto University schools.

"YouTube is a good example of this, as it combines brands, social media, technology and a new kind of consumer behavior. YouTube revolutionizes our way of interacting with brands. Companies are also looking for new ways to communicate with their customers. At the same time, there are more and more people who want to become influencers through platforms as YouTube", Ahola explains.

The keynote speakers are Anthropologist, Researcher Crystal Abidin from Jönköping University, Head Stina Varsikko from Splay Finland, Visiting Assistant Professor Miikka Lehtonen from Aalto University and Professor of Communication Sciences Tanja Sihvonen from University of Vaasa.

Abidin studies social media influencers, i.e. the professional bloggers and the relationship of young people to them. Her book Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online (Emerald Publishing, 2018) will come out soon. Varsikko is responsible for operations in Splay Finland, the YouTube network linking tubers and brands. Lehtonen examines, among other things, the business logic of tubers’ managers and how influencer marketing is linked to the change in media consumption. Sihvonen is a game research expert.

"Influencer marketing in Finland is still smaller scale compared to global and Nordic market, but it is growing. One-way and too refined production no longer attract people as much as before, instead they expect touching and interesting experiences. Also technology makes it easier to consume YouTube videos nowadays”, says Miikka Lehtonen.

Experience Platform will continue to come up with similar, cross-disciplinary events for Aalto schools through which it can bring together companies and international researchers from different institutions. There are already events planned around colors, dressing and space.